The Guy Next Door
by DesolateDreamer
Summary: For Lindsey, things kind of suck right now. And then the vampire family moved in next door. While Jasper tries to be nice, Lindsey cannot seem to stand him. Will they ignore each other forever or just be friends? Set in modern England. Vampires. AU. No Bella. Jasper/OC. Rated M for language.
1. Welcome

**Hey all! This idea has been brewing for a while now and I recently got hit with some inspiration to write... _something_... so here we go. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!**

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**Lindsey**

My mum's knocking on my bedroom door woke me up. She knocked a few times and then entered, even though I did not reply with anything understandable – just a moan, before I covered my head with my blanket. It had taken me hours to get to sleep the previous night, so whatever time it was I didn't care. I just wanted sleep.

'Get up, we're going to meet the new neighbours today.' She announced, her voice muffled from under the covers.

'I don't want to.' I replied.

'Tough. You've been hiding in bed too long. It's time to go outside.' I heard her opening the curtains.

Sighing, I popped my head out from under the blanket. 'I said I don't want to. And I'm not hiding.'

She put her hands on her hips, frowning at me. 'I don't care. I'm sick of this, Lindsey. You have to move on, and since you won't do it on your own, I'm making you. Now get dressed. There's a pot of tea downstairs.'

I opened my mouth to argue but she interrupted me.

'No, I'm not bringing it up for you!' With that she stormed out the room, closing the door behind her.

Groaning, I rolled over in bed, checking my clock for the time. Ten thirty-one. Well, it could have been worse, but I was still really tired and wanted to get some more sleep. I knew very well, however, that my mum would not appreciate that at all. And I didn't particularly want my tea to go cold…

Lazily, I slid out from under the blanket, feeling the cool morning air prickle at my exposed pale arms. Holding them to my torso for warmth, I pulled a t-shirt over the top from the pile of clothes on the floor, not bothering to take off my pyjama top as it was too cold for that. _Summer is definitely over,_ I thought, changing into a pair of jeans. I also grabbed my black jacket from my desk chair, before running a hairbrush through my long dark blonde wavy hair. Well, almost blonde. It still had hints of red from where I had dyed it a few months ago.

With a sigh I pocketed my phone from my bedside table, glancing out of the window.

Being at the back of the house, I could see into the neighbours' garden quite easily. Things had definitely changed – a fancy table with a few chairs had been put out there as well as a bunch of other gardening stuff including about a hundred flower pots and little statues. None of it had been put in any kind of place yet, though. While I was looking out, a woman with darkish brown hair came outside and picked up a statue of a little hedgehog, surveying the space, searching for a place to put it.

I looked away and started heading downstairs for the tea. My mum, who was in the kitchen, smiled at me. 'Good. I didn't have to drag you out of bed then.'

I sighed, opening the drawer for a teaspoon.

'I already put sugar in your tea.' She continued.

I looked at her for a second. 'Thanks.' I said, shortly, picking up my mug. It didn't feel too hot, so I took a sip. I returned the smile to her, gratefully. The tea was just how I liked it.

'They're a big family.' My mum said. 'I don't know how big, but there are quite a few of them…'

'You shouldn't spy on the neighbours.' I replied with a raised eyebrow.

She put down her empty mug. 'I wasn't spying. Hurry up and get ready, I'm waiting for you.' She picked up a plate from one of the kitchen counters of something wrapped in cling film.

'Mum, is that pie?' I questioned.

'Yes.'

'You're giving them a pie?!'

'Yes.' She snapped at me. 'Now hurry up!'

I groaned again, finishing my tea. What was the hurry for anyway? It's not like the people next door were going anywhere.

It was eleven by the time my mum and I were standing outside the neighbours' front door. My mum stood there holding the pie while she used the other hand to quickly move her fringe out of her eyes while we waited for them to answer. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets with a sickening feeling in my stomach, unable to tell if it was hunger or something else…

One of the most attractive people I have ever seen opened the door. It was an effort to stop my mouth from turning into an "o" shape. Stood in the doorway was a tall, extremely handsome blonde man with striking amber eyes. His skin was very pale… like literally white.

'Good morning.' He greeted us with a smile. His voice even sounded attractive!

My mum beamed at him. Wonderful. 'Good morning.' She replied. 'We live next door.' She said quickly, holding out the pie. 'Here, this is for you- for your family. A welcoming gift. Welcome!' She laughed, nervously.

I wanted to cover my face with my hand.

My parents were divorced, which only added to the numerous list of things wrong with my life. It meant that my mum did have boyfriends, which made things quite difficult sometimes…

The man at the door was a little startled for a moment, but quickly tried to be friendly and nodded, taking the pie from her hands. 'This is very generous, thank you so much.' He said. Was that an American accent?

'You're welcome.' My mum grinned, and then suddenly realised how many times she had said "welcome" and paused for a moment. 'I'm Beth, this is my daughter, Lindsey.'

I smiled weakly and he gave me a nod.

'Carlisle Cullen. A pleasure to meet you. Would you like to come in?' He took a step back.

'Of course, thank you.' My mum replied, happily, not hesitating to enter the house. I followed her, still keeping my hands in my pockets.

I had already been in the house before, and nothing had changed since the last time I was there, except everywhere had been stripped except for the wallpaper and the carpet. Boxes were scattered everywhere, making it a bit difficult to walk through the place.

'Sorry, it's a bit of a mess right now.' Carlisle apologised.

'Oh no, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Lindsey's room is a lot like this.'

I scowled, but said nothing. Carlisle chuckled at my mum's words.

We followed him through to the kitchen which doubled up as the dining room, but there were some white sofas there. The woman who I had seen earlier came in through the back door, seeing us through the glass, grinning, as Carlisle set down the pie on the side.

'Hey there.' She said.

Carlisle smiled to her. 'Esme these are our new neighbours, Beth and Lindsey. This is my wife, Esme.'

I could just feel my mum's disappointment. In a second her smile changed from happy and nervous to fake and nervous, but she managed to keep herself afloat. 'It's nice to meet you, Esme.'

I gave the woman the same smile I had given Carlisle and my eyes trailed to looking outside. I really wanted to go back to bed.

My mum made conversation with the couple and we all took seats on the sofas – Carlisle and Esme on one, with my mum and I on the other. At first I was listening to the conversation, but sure enough my mind went elsewhere, and it took my mum three times to say my name before I came back to reality again.

'Lindsey!' she said, irritably.

I looked at her.

'Esme asked how old you are.'

'Oh.' I said, which was the first thing I had said at all since we came inside. 'Eighteen.'

My mum still seemed unhappy, but I didn't really know what to say without being rude. 'Can I have the key, I need to use the bathroom.' I asked her.

'Oh that's alright, you can use ours.' Esme said kindly.

'Thanks.' I replied, standing up.

'It's just upsta-,'

'I know where it is.' I interrupted.

'Oh. Okay.' She said, slightly taken aback.

My mum gave her an apologetic smile. I left the room, but I could still hear their conversation as I made my way up the stairs to the bathroom. 'She's going through a hard time right now-,' I could hear my mum trying to explain my rude behaviour.

Upstairs I could hear furniture being moved around, and some voices. A few different ones – my mum was right, the family did sound quite large.

I had really wanted to go home, but I had already been rude enough not taking part in the conversation, which left me no choice but to use their bathroom. But it was all the way down the hall, meaning I had to pass all the other rooms. Outside one of the doors, I stopped. I tried to make myself go forward, but I just couldn't force myself to keep walking. Glancing at the door to my right, which was ajar, I took the smallest step back, just to get a peek inside. Suddenly the door opposite opened, making me jump.

A tall, very muscular, very pale guy stood there looking down at me, with short dark hair. I blinked. Had this whole family had cosmetic surgery or something?

'Hello…' he said slowly, with a deep voice.

'Hi.' I said, smiling slightly. 'I'm Lindsey from next door.'

'Oh.' He paused. 'Hello.' He repeated. 'I'm Emmett.'

'I was just going to use the bathroom.' I explained.

'Okay.' He smiled, friendly. A blonde girl appeared behind him with a frown on her face. Same pale skin, amber eyes and insanely attractive. What the hell?

'And I'm Rosalie.' She said coldly. There was no smile from her, and she looked like someone who should definitely be avoided.

I nodded. 'Well, I gotta go. Nice meeting you.' I turned, heading towards the bathroom again, slightly saddened that I hadn't had the chance to take a quick look into that familiar room. Perhaps on the way back?

No chance. When I left to go back downstairs again, the door was shut, and I wasn't about to open it and go snooping. What good would it have done anyway? None.

By the time I got back to my mum, Carlisle and Esme, someone else had joined.

'Lindsey, come and meet Alice.' My mum said as I took the seat on the sofa once again.

A petite girl with short dark brown hair smiled and waved at me. What do you know? Pale skin, amber eyes. Weird. 'Hey, Lindsey. Your mother's been talking about you.' she exclaimed, excitedly. 'Are you into fashion?'

I shrugged. 'Not really.'

My mum gave me a sharp look.

I furrowed my brow, unsure of what to say. 'I'm sorry?' I apologised to Alice.

Alice's smile faded slightly, but she still tried to be enthusiastic, while my mum was still looking at me, unhappily.

'It doesn't matter,' she waved her hand, 'I'll get you into it. We have to go shopping sometime. You have to show me where to buy clothes here. It's so different from America.'

Esme chuckled. 'Slow down, Alice.'

'I would!' Alice said. 'But this is extremely important!'

'Yeah, great… sounds fun…' I said slowly, trying to sound a little excited but I didn't seem to do very well as my mum looked at me sharply again. I raised my eyebrows at her.

I gave Alice a quick feeble smile before turning to my mum again. 'Is it alright if I go home? I'm starving. I didn't have any breakfast.'

'Oh, Lindsey…' she started.

'It's fine!' Esme said, warmly.

'We can have dinner or something sometime…' Carlisle suggested.

My mum sighed, getting her key out of her pocket. 'Alright.' She said. 'Here.'

'Thanks.' I said, taking the key, hastily. 'Nice to meet you, bye.' And with that I was out into the hallway.

Another tall guy was at the bottom of the stairs, on his way up. He looked at me with dark golden eyes and for a moment I looked at him. He had curly blonde hair that was long overdue for a haircut and had very pale skin just like the rest of the family. But I didn't stop. I walked straight past, without a word, without asking for his name. I was leaving.

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**Please review :)**


	2. Friends

**Hey everyone! I have been attempting camp NaNoWriMo and I got bored of my other story so I started writing for this fic. Hope it doesn't seem rushed or anything. (Also I may have had a stupid moment and wrote it all in third person before realising that the first chapter was in first person, so I corrected it all I hope...)**

**Thanks for reading :) **

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**Jasper**

I didn't like moving. It felt like whenever we finally got settled, five to ten years flew by, and then it was time to move again. Being a vampire meant being incredibly patient. Five years was nothing.

Moving to England was actually Esme's idea. More than once Carlisle had expressed a desire of returning, but it had never been the right time. Well, that time had come, and after everything he had done for us, we wanted to give something back. That had been a while ago. It was getting to the point where we would soon be going back to America after this last house in a small town in the South. Hopefully living there would not be excruciatingly painful.

The house was not as isolated as I had hoped. It was not attached to any other houses, but it was still quite close to the neighbours, with the gardens being right next to each other. Great. The people next door would be heard all too clearly.

After we arrived at the house, the rest of my family got straight to work, listening to Esme as she explained exactly how she wanted the living room to be arranged and Alice ordering Emmett to stop holding the couch with one hand. In the garage, I picked up a box with "Jasper's stuff" written in black pen on the side and headed upstairs to start unpacking. It would not take long.

At the sound of the doorbell I froze. Humans. I stood near the door of my new room, listening to the conversation going on downstairs. Carlisle answered and apparently it was the new neighbours. A mother and her daughter, though the daughter didn't speak. The mother… Beth, was nervous, though I could hear her trying to be friendly. As for the daughter… Lindsey, she was irritated and sad. She definitely did not want to be there.

The mother was really talkative and after a few minutes I felt slightly guilty for eavesdropping on the conversation, so I tried to block it out, concentrating on unpacking a box of books. Before long, however, I could hear one of them coming up the stairs. The scent was getting stronger causing my throat to burn a little more than usual and the sound of the heartbeat was most unsettling.

I opened the door and saw a young blonde woman walking across the landing on the floor blow. She did not notice me, though she stopped walking for a moment, glancing at the open door of Edward's room. Briefly she leant closer to it. Was she about to go prying? Why was she feeling so miserable?

Before she could get any closer Emmett and Rosalie's door opposite opened, causing her to turn around. A few words were exchanged between them before she slipped into the bathroom.

'Well that was the longest conversation I've ever had.' Emmett joked.

I smiled slightly at that, going down the stairs to get another box from the garage. I had to sort through a few of them trying to find the last few boxes of my things. Some of the boxes might not even get unpacked if humans were going to be visiting us… the idea of humans being around the house often made me a bit uncomfortable. This was supposed to be the one place where we could be ourselves. How would we do that if we had to hide there, too? I was pretty sure Rosalie would not be pleased about this either.

Picking up another box, I went back through to the hallway and was about to head upstairs when suddenly the blonde girl, who had to be Lindsey based on how young she was, was walking towards me.

I opened my mouth, about to say hello, to try and at least be friendly in case we were around each other more often in the future, but she barely glanced at me for a second. She walked straight towards the door and shut it behind her.

I looked at the front door for about a minute, trying to work out what had just happened, but I eventually decided not to dwell on it. She had not stared at me for about ten minutes, dumbfounded, which was kind of a nice alternative. Shaking my head, I ascended the stairs. Perhaps this was going to be one human I could stand to be around to fit in. Maybe…

**Lindsey**

The day was nothing special. After having lunch, I didn't feel like reading so I watched one of my old favourite TV series whilst eating a tub of ice cream, sitting on my bed surrounded by my fluffy toy rabbits. My mum came in a few times to ask me to tidy my room, which was covered in piles of clothes, but other than that, I was left alone.

At the credits of the finale episode, I stared at the blank screen of my phone for a minute, and then reached for it. No messages. I tossed it aside, regretting even checking.

Frowning, I stood up, leaving the empty ice cream tub on the floor. I took off downstairs and out the back door, greeted by the cool air and darkening sky in the silence of the garden. It was a short walk to the piece of wood hanging from a bit of rope from the tree branch at the end of the stretch of grass, where I sat down, hugging the rope. In my head I told myself over and over that I was okay, I would get through this. But I couldn't do it. It was too hard.

I covered my eyes with one hand, letting out a small sob as I felt tears beneath my fingers. I had to stop doing this, but I didn't know how. I just wanted things like they were before. Was that too much to ask? Drying my eyes, I told myself I was being stupid. Crying was not going to fix anything, but more tears started to run down my face and I let out another sob.

I wiped my eyes again, hastily, pushing my foot against the ground to swing a few feet back and then forward. I had to calm down… I didn't want my mum to see me crying when I had to go back inside.

Taking a few deep breaths, I glanced up at the darkening sky. Brushing my hair out of my face, I shivered a bit. It was starting to get cold, but I had the strangest feeling someone was watching me.

I looked around to see someone standing behind the fence. It was that Cullen guy from next door – the one with the pale skin and dark amber eyes – or for a better description, the tall lanky one with the wavy blonde hair who I didn't know the name of.

I saw two options. Ignore him like before and go back inside, or say hi despite my most likely red, tear stained, face.

However I felt a bit angry. How long had he been standing there watching me like a creepy weirdo? We were looking at each other and he still did not speak. Was he not even going to ask if I was okay? He was just going to stand there and watch?

'What?!' I snapped at him, standing up and taking a step closer to the fence.

He hesitated, looking a bit taken aback as he raised his eyebrows. 'Why are you upset?' he finally asked.

I brushed away a tear slowly sliding down my face and narrowed my eyes at him. 'None of your business.' Angrily, I turned my back and walked back towards the house.

'It's Jasper by the way.' He raised his voice slightly as I walked away.

'Fuck off, Jasper.' I called back at him, not bothering to look his way.

From the glass in the back door, I did look back to see him going back inside his house. I did not look long enough, though, to see his expression. I didn't care that much. He was extremely hot, so what? I wasn't interested in being friends with someone who couldn't see I obviously wanted to be left alone.

**Jasper**

I felt like an idiot. I had thought that going outside would be a good idea. From the large windows in the back of the house where the kitchen and dining room was, I could see Lindsey striding across to the end of the garden. It was clear she was upset, even without being able to feel her pain and sadness. And I could hear her crying. Maybe that would be my chance to see what was wrong… to see why she was so sad.

What a stupid plan. Instead when I got out there, she was angry. I barely got to give her my name before she cursed at me and went back indoors. So much for being able to stand being around her! She was horrible.

No, she wasn't horrible. She was upset, and probably needed to yell at me to prove that she wasn't weak. Still. I was only trying to be nice, and she couldn't care less.

I glared at nothing in particular, going back inside. So much for trying to make an effort – it just got thrown back in my face.

'Sorry, Jazz.' Alice said to me when I shut the back door behind me. She was sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter.

'I just wanted to try and fit in for once.' I replied, softening my expression and shrugging. 'Next time I won't bother then.'

Alice sighed. 'Oh, Jazz.' She hopped off the counter and hugged me round the waist. 'You'll make friends at school.'

I hugged her back. 'Have you seen it?' I asked, hopefully.

She pulled back. 'Well… no.' she said in a small voice. 'But it's bound to happen, I'm sure…'

'Thanks Alice.' I sighed slightly, looking away.

I was not looking forward to school, even if it was only for two years. Maybe trying to make friends was a lost cause anyway. It wasn't as if I could stand to be around humans much – making friends was just to make us appear more… normal. As if that could happen.

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**Reviews please! :D**


	3. We're even now

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter :) It was a bit of a struggle but I have some plot ideas that I hope will be interesting!**

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**Lindsey**

My alarm went off all too soon. Half seven was way too early for me. I would so much rather stay in bed for a few more hours, but I knew I had to get up for work.

After getting ready, I headed downstairs. My mum had already left, as usual, since she had to drive for an hour to get to her office job in the city. It meant she was gone early and home late – we didn't spend much time together.

I made myself some coffee and toast, since I didn't feel like cereal. Hating the sound of silence in the empty house, I turned on the TV in the kitchen. Since I didn't have that much time I just left it on the news channel. Apparently someone had disappeared in the neighbourhood, but they were pretty sure they had the person that kidnapped them. Also, there had been a car crash. Great – that meant my mum would be home later than usual.

I switched off the TV, slipped my shoes on, and left. It was only a five minute walk so I didn't need to worry about rushing, not that they would mind terribly if I was a couple of minutes late. I glanced at the Cullen's house as I walked past it. The curtains were up which were white, and there was a shiny silver car in the driveway.

Tearing my eyes away, I moved on. I didn't want anyone to see me staring.

'Morning.' I said as I walked in through the back rooms. I was a volunteer. I needed experience so I had been doing some work at a charity shop, and I secretly loved it. People donated their old stuff and we sold it for charity… it wasn't just for experience, however, it used up my free time and it helped me meet more people, as well as help those in need. It kept me busy.

'Lindsey!' Katelyn squealed in delight, hurrying over to me.

'Oh no.' I said, smiling. 'What happened?'

'I found you a partner!'

I blinked a few times. 'Sorry, what?'

'I found you a partner!' She clapped her hands. 'You know how I've been saying for the last month that you need someone to help you with the DVDs and books? Well, the school is sending someone over for work experience, every Friday they'll be helping out. And _you_ can train them. It's perfect!' She beamed at me.

I grinned back. 'That's great. It's been a lot of work since that guy left.'

'I know! Hopefully they will know a thing or two…'

'We will have to see.' I said, starting to look through a box of CDs.

'His name is Jack.' Katelyn patted my shoulder and then walked back onto the shop floor.

It was a guy? Okay then. And since work experience one day a week was mandatory in the sixth form nearby, they would most likely be one or two years younger than me. Hopefully he would know a thing or two, because otherwise teaching him would be awful. A lot of people just made me more work to do through incompetence, which was very, _very_ annoying.

As usual, the day went by quite fast. I took half an hour for lunch to eat a sandwich and get some more coffee before getting back to work. I left late afternoon when most of the work had been taken care of.

While walking home, I was about to pass the Cullen's driveway when suddenly a jeep came speeding down the road. They stopped at the driveway so I stopped, waiting for them to go first. They waited so I walked. And then they almost ran over my foot.

Glaring at the car, angry and confused, I watched as the driver got out. It was that dark haired guy called Emmett! 'What the hell? You almost ran over my foot!'

He grinned at me. 'That was for telling Jasper to fuck off yesterday.'

I clenched my jaw, staring at him as that blonde girl got out of the passenger side and went to stand next to him. She looked at me, coldly.

I shook my head. I didn't care enough to say anything else.

'Well, we're even now.' Emmett said. He shrugged.

'I don't think you are.' Rosalie muttered, fiercely.

'_Of course_ we are, Rose.' He told her.

I continued walking towards my house.

'Yeah, okay, see you later, Lindsey!' Emmett called after me.

I gave him a thumbs up without looking at him, still walking. I guess I did sort of deserve that. Yesterday hadn't been a good day, and I'd been pretty rude. But I didn't want to apologise. Jasper shouldn't have been watching me like a creep.

When I got inside I was relieved to see a pair of high heels in the hallway.

'Hello!' I heard the sweet voice of my aunt from the living room. I loved my aunt. She was like my other mother.

'Hey!' I yelled back, quickly getting my shoes off and leaving them by the door before going into the living room.

She was sitting on the sofa with her feet up on the coffee table next to a tea pot on a tray with two mugs, but she moved her feet off to stand up when I walked in so she could give me a hug.

I hugged her back, smiling, though moving my head as her greying hair kept getting in my face. She was over a lot to have afternoon tea with me, to keep me company while my mum was at work.

She sat back down on the sofa, pulling me down with her and she grinned. 'How was work?'

'Really good.' I replied, pouring myself some tea. I sighed in content. It was nice to spend time with my aunt. She was really great to talk to. 'That crazy woman has stopped coming in every day, so we actually get more customers now.'

She laughed, the edges of her eyes crinkling in amusement. 'I'm glad that has been sorted out.'

'And I'll be getting someone to help me out with the books and stuff as well. That will be awesome.' I poured some milk and a spoonful of sugar into my tea and stirred. 'Katelyn is very excited about it.'

'I bet.' My aunt smiled at me for a moment. It was that smile she had when she wanted to talk to me about something important. 'So… I see some people have moved in next door.'

My smile faded and I looked down at my tea. 'Yeah… We went over to meet them…'

She raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? What happened?'

I hesitated.

'Come on… tell Aunty Lin.' She patted my knee, putting on her voice that always seemed to get me to tell her anything.

'They're a bit… weird.' I told her. 'They all have the same weird golden eyes, and extremely pale skin. And… one of them almost ran over my foot about five minutes ago.'

She widened her eyes. 'Really? Was it an accident?'

'No. He did it on purpose.'

Aunty Lin frowned. 'But why-,'

'I may have sworn at one of them for staring at me… he was getting revenge.'

'Oh Lindsey…' she sighed, disappointed.

'I know, I know.' I took a sip of tea. 'But he was just watching me…. They're just all really creepy and weird. I mean, most of them _are_ nice-,'

My aunt interrupted me. 'Well if they're nice then you should be nice to them. You shouldn't be rude to them!'

'No, you don't understand. You haven't met them.'

'You're right, I haven't met them. But they sound perfectly nice to me, apart from the one that tried to run over your foot. You shouldn't just judge them on their appearance, no matter how strange they look. They're only human, and maybe they just want to make friends… they did only just move in.' she looked at me with sad big brown eyes and I couldn't exactly say no to her.

I nodded slightly. 'Alright. Yeah.'

She nodded as well. 'Good. Then you can start with an apology to the one you swore at.'

I tried to argue but it was never any good with my Aunty Lin. Her way was always the right way, and it was hard to disagree. 'Fine.' I muttered.

She smiled, happily. 'Hooray! Now, let me see your tea leaves…'

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**Next: a Jasper chapter**


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